


Rooftops

by Straccia_Tella



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Chimney Sweep Keith, Fluff, Lance is kind of like a driver, M/M, some semblance of a plot, victorian au, you can read this relationship as platonic or romantic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-17
Updated: 2018-11-17
Packaged: 2019-08-25 01:23:05
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,871
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16651612
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Straccia_Tella/pseuds/Straccia_Tella
Summary: “This is one of my favorite spots. You can see just about everything up here, and it makes me think that I could just stretch my hand out and I’d be at the other side of the city. Like I could travel anywhere I wanted,” Lance outstretched his hand, allowing his mind to make him believe the dream for a moment before he let the arm fall back onto his lap. “Sometimes, I wonder if I really want that to be true.”





	Rooftops

**Author's Note:**

> I got to collab with the amazing[ allexche](http://allexche.tumblr.com) who drew a really cute Klance Victorian AU piece.  
> This is their [piece](http://allexche.tumblr.com/post/180176515232/an-old-piece-of-victorian-au), so please go check them out and support them!

  Lance stared at the fog covering the city, looking past each rooftop and chimney, imagining running and jumping across each one. It was the only thing he was able to think of in the past half an hour after checking his pocket watch and tapping his fingers impatiently on the tiles of the roof. As he sat up on his perch where he knew he shouldn’t be, he swung his legs precariously over the edge and started to quietly whistle to himself to help pass the time.

  When he looked down to observe passer-by’s on the streets, he caught sight of a chimney sweeper with a bundle of ashen sweeps on his shoulder, and raven hair covered by a dark beret, but not enough to cover the back of his neck. He’d recognize that hairstyle anywhere.

  “Mornin’ Keith!” Lance called and waved his hand down to the raven-haired man as he approached the ladder that lead to him and stood below with his signature frown.

  “It’s the afternoon,” Keith answered. “How long have you been up there, anyway?”

  He tried to wipe the bit of soot off of his cheek with the back of his hand, which only made the line across his face stretch upward even further. He was hefted his pack of chimney sweeps, tipped his hat back to get a better look at the other man and placed a hand on his hips.

  “I don’t know, a couple hours maybe? Sorry, it’s the new book,” Lance held up the said heavy book in his hand. “Want to read it with me?”

  “Why else do you think I’m here?” Keith replied as Lance motioned to the ladder next to him and Keith began to climb.

  “Glad you got my invitation,” Lance smiled as Keith was just a few more steps away.

  “Well, “Rooftops, afternoon, bring some food or money if you can”, with sloppy handwriting sounds more like a ransom note than an invitation. Knowing you though, I came anyway.”

  “Aw, see? You do care.” Lance smiled while Keith snorted through his nose and watched him continue to climb. “Did you bring anything?”

  “You know how this works,” Keith grinned. “You read, _then_ I go buy you some tea, food, or whatever you want afterwards.”

  "You’re holding my poor stomach hostage?” Lance gasped as he grasped his stomach through his clothes.

  “That’s what we agreed on, don’t act so surprised.”

  Once Keith passed the last rung, he was standing next to Lance, dropping all of his equipment on the small rooftop space, using ladder for his hat as a makeshift coat hanger, and leaned onto the window. He took his tie and wiped it across his forehead, dabbing the corners of his face that was dripping with sweat.

  “Hard day at work?” Lance asked, looking at the soot covering Keith’s knuckles.

  “I’ve had worse, the chimney sweeping will have to do until I can find something better. Still saving up to buy that car, but I’ll get there,” Keith replied. “What about you?”

  "Oh, you know, same thing everyday,” he ran his fingers over the fading letters of the book cover. “Just transporting people around in carriages, here and there, and then I do some work at the Holt’s bookshop. Did you know they collect antique books?”

  “No,” Keith looked down at the very book in Lance’s hands. “I hope that isn’t one of the very antique books you were talking about.”

  “What? No, it’s just a book that Sam was willing to lend me, and it’s been...something.”

  Keith leaned closer to look at the fading cursive writing on the book cover and looked back at Lance.

  “So this one isn’t about cars?”  
  “Nope, this is a children’s book.”  
  Lance felt Keith’s knuckles knocking him on the head, but it was more playful than anything else.  
  “Just because I hardly went to school doesn’t mean I can’t read. Also, if I'm not mistaken, you barely _like_ reading.”  
  “I’m not making fun of you,” Lance said, pretending to be in pain from the knock. “It just seemed interesting, and I thought I could read it to my niece and nephew later when I get home.”

  The two were quiet for a moment, both taking in the silence of Lance’s words. Keith knew how much Lance’s family meant to him, and why he was taking on so many jobs. But he was here to provide Lance some company, not a reminder of the grim reality and hard times they had to face in their daily lives.

  “Why couldn’t you have picked a more comfortable place to read a story than on the rooftops? That’s what benches and parks are for,” Keith tilted his head in disdain, swiping his bangs out of his face. “Remember the last time you almost fell?”

  “You caught me then,” Lance argued. “I like reading on the rooftops. It feels more freeing up here, and no one is going to annoy us. We’re just reading, it’s nothing harmful.”

  “And the first time we met, you were doing this very thing that people were saying you shouldn’t be doing,” Keith gestured to the rooftop they occupied and then jabbed his finger down to the street as if to make his point further.

  “Maybe I’m a rebel,” Lance shot back.

  “You fell asleep reading one of your books and nearly toppled off the building. If I hadn’t been there to grab you from your imminent death, you wouldn’t be sitting here today.” He rested his arms on the window and leaned closer to Lance. “When are you going to read that to me?”

  “Yes, mother,” Lance said with an eye roll.

  He opened the book in his lap and took a moment to stare at the illustration of the white rabbit at the beginning of the page as Keith got comfortable and waited for Lance to begin. Lance cleared his throat and began to read the first lines of the story.

  “ _Alice was beginning to get very tired of sitting by her sister on the bank, and of having nothing to do: once or twice she had peeped into the book her sister was reading,_ ” he paused to glance up at Keith who motioned with his hand to continue.

  Lance smiled as his eyes scanned the next words to read aloud.

 

  Before Lance knew it, he shut the book after the final line was read and looked up to see Keith smiling down at him. His arm up and holding onto the window’s head for support and his other placed on his hip.

  “You must have really liked it if you’re looking at me like that,” Lance joked as he dusted off his hands. “Did you like it?”

  “I guess?” Keith replied with a genuine unsure expression. “It was kind of hard to keep up with some moments in the story... if there even was an actual story.”

  “Lot of people said this was a really popular book for kids.”  
  “Maybe it’s because it makes no sense.” Keith said as he stood to crack his back.

  “Kids do love things that don’t make sense,” Lance agreed, turning his head to look up at Keith. “Why do you like me to read to you anyway?”

  “I’m too tired to read after all the work I’ve done for the day,” Keith muttered simply as he closed his eyes to feel a passing wind breeze.

  “You sure that’s the whole reason? I’ve been told that I’m great at telling stories,” Lance asked, nudging Keith with his elbow and wiggling his eyebrow.

  Keith swatted the elbow away and went to go to the ladder to pick up his hat.

  “The story was good, so what’ll it be today? Fried fish? Or do you want tea instead? If we go now, Hunk might be able to hand us some rolls to chew on.”

  “Wait,” Lance said, grasping for Keith’s sleeve, causing the other to halt in his steps and look back in confusion. “I... don’t want to go. Not yet.”

  Keith looked ready to ask him “why”, but he obliged and slowly walked back to Lance, nudging him with his shoe that was lightly dusted in soot. Lance would have been annoyed that Keith was going to ruin one of his good clothes, but he let it slide.

  “Scoot over and let me sit down.”  
  Lance let go of his sleeve and moved over as much as he could, allowing Keith to plop dow next to him, and the two stared at the horizon covered with smoke and chimney tops. They both watched the clouds lazily cross the sky and hear the chatter of crossing pedestrians below, off doing their own chores or attending to personal matters.

  “Quite the view,” Keith said as he let his eyes wander across the city.  
  “This is one of my favorite spots. You can see just about everything up here, and it makes me think that I could just stretch my hand out and I’d be at the other side of the city. Like I could travel anywhere I wanted,” Lance outstretched his hand, allowing his mind to make him believe the dream for a moment before he let the arm fall back onto his lap. “Sometimes, I wonder if I really want that to be true.”

  “You’ve been talking about traveling the world more these past few months. The others and I know that you’ve been saving up, but are you sure you have enough? Have you even talked to your family about this?”

  “Well, not yet, but I thought that if I could ask a few other people to join me, I’d be set for starting the journey.”

  Keith turned his head to see Lance giving him a warm smile, eye’s glinting with excitement. “... You want me to join you on this?”  
  “Well, I want Pidge, Hunk, Shiro, Allura and Coran to join, but you’re the first person I’ve asked.” Lance leaned back against the window, letting the cool glass, “You’ve had by back through thick and thin, so I wanted you to get the news first. If I want to travel the world, I want to do it with you by my side.”

  Keith continued to stare, words failing him and suddenly he began to laugh. That may have not been the best reaction, but he couldn’t help it.

  Lance groaned, “I knew you’d think it was a dumb idea...”

  “N-no, I don’t, I really don’t,” Keith took his hat from the ladder and placed it over Lance’s head to cover the small blush forming on his cheeks. “I’d be honored, to join you on this adventure.”

  Lance’s smile widened as he tackled Keith with a hug.

  “Watch it idiot, we can still fall!” Keith yelled as he grabbed onto the windowsill for support, and the two nearly toppled down had Keith not reacted so fast.

  “We should celebrate, I brought my flask and everything!”

  “I’m not drinking anything until we have both feet on the ground,” Keith sighed as he poked Lance’s forehead.

  The two looked at each other and grinned, basking in the moment for a moment longer.

  “Partners?” Keith asked, tipping up his hat to see Lance’s face.  
  “Partners,” Lance replied.

**Author's Note:**

> This piece was for a Voltron zine that ran into some unfortunate problems and the final product sadly, could not be published. However, I at least get it post it here, and I was still really psyched to be able to work with the artist.  
> You can find me on my [Tumblr](http://n-trace.tumblr.com/) or  Instagram if you want to chat.


End file.
